In good hands for 20 years

JUST two matrons have ensured the smooth running of Renacres Hospital, and as they prepare for their 20th anniversary celebrations LookBack checked in to see how times have changed.
In 1987, Renacres Hall near Halsall was a family home and farmhouse that had been identified by a team hoping to break into the healthcare market. They spotted the potential of the site in an area with a high demand for medical services, and soon Renacres Hall became Renacres Hall Hospital. And it was with this clean slate that Liz Proffitt began work as the first matron in the brand new facility, after years working in the National Health Service.
She said: “What struck me first was, working in the NHS, if anything broke down we just picked up the telephone and spoke to the works department who came along and mended it.
“Coming into private, because the company was only new, we mended it ourselves.
“When we first opened I was changing the light bulbs and fixing the lift – they soon got their act together but that’s what I found most different.�
Today, matrons are supported by a whole raft of health and safety regulations, as well as technical back up, but there was nothing like that in 1987.
The original farmhouse became offices, with patient and consulting rooms, and upon opening 26 beds were registered for use.

The first job for the hospital was to secure contracts with consultants to enable them to provide the services that still flourish today.
Current matron, Janet Hamnett said: “The types of procedures haven’t changed that much, the biggest change is in the way we look after patients. The length of stay was longer, for example, a joint replacement used to mean two weeks recovery and now its six days.
“For some gynaecological procedures where it used to be 10 days, now it’s five, which is all down to changes in technique.�
As the hospital has grown, so has the range of services it offers. And today, while continuing to provide acute care as a priority, the employment of a cosmetic surgery consultant has seen that side of the business flourish.
Janet added: “It’s not just the rich and famous. When we first opened it was people with private health insurance and people with plenty of money who could fund themselves, but that’s gradually changed.�
A barbecue will be held to celebrate the official anniversary of the opening in June, with a charity ball organised for later in the year.